Blonde Ambitions

For the first item in this week's From Screen to Stage, I'll channel big screen - to stage - to small screen star Elle Woods:

- "Ohmygod, you guys! It's only, like, one week until Legally Blonde - The Musical makes its TV debut on, like, MTV! The totally fab Broadway Blog thinks it's, like, an awesome idea, and check out all the pics and chat, like, live from the pink carpet!"

(Whew, that was exhausting ... how does Laura Bell Bundy do it every night?)

UPDATE: Ohmygod, they've postponed it! According to QueerSighted.com, Legally Blonde - The Musical won't air on MTV until Saturday October 13! A quick check of the MTV website confirms this -- so unfair! So, like, here's a montage of clips from the show to tide you over until then.

- New York movie musical fans take note: the "lost" Porgy and Bess movie (starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge) will be screened next week at the Ziegfeld Theatre. And this will be the rare original road show print, with overture, intermission music and exit music ... could a long-in-demand DVD be far behind?

- Speaking of older film favorites not on DVD, the movie version of The Ritz (starring original Broadway cast members Rita Moreno, Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller and F. Murray Abraham) will finally be released in January. This comes on the heels of the current revival starring Kevin Chamberlin and Rosie Perez. Meanwhile, Playbill.com's own Seth Rudetsky recounts his opening night trials and tribulations in his latest column.

- As Chicago celebrates its tenth year in London, could Tori Spelling and hubby Dean McDermott be Broadway's next Roxie and Billy?

- There are worse things Rizzo herself, Jenny Powers, could do then give fans a video backstage tour of Grease. In related news, Playbill News wonders "where are the You're the One That I Want stars now?", including Derek Keeling (smoldering up A Tale of Two Cities), Ashley Spencer (Hairspray's current Amber) and Kate Rockwell (Phantom's latest Christine).

- On the gay icons front: Rosie love Billy, Harvey has his Catered Affair and Ian rakes it in as King Lear. Plus: a "lost" Noel Coward play is found.

- Happy Days are here again - live and onstage. By the cast breakdown, it appears as if the new tuner is based on that episode where Fonzie and his newly reunited love Pinky Tuscadero take on the Malachi Brothers. Hey, at least it isn't the shark one.

- As I mentioned last week, West Side Story is turning 50 this year, and yet another album of its legendary score will be released to commemorate the occasion. But, unlike the previously mentioned (and already panned) compilation album, this will be a new recording, featuring opera singers in the lead roles. Uh, didn't they already try thatonce?

You can pre-order the West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Recordingfrom Amazon.com, available September 25, by clicking here.

- Are you itching to see the Cry-Baby musical? Well, here's our first look at the cast. Hey look, Harriet Harris!

- Those Dirty Rotten Scoundrels are going back on tour.

- Speaking of tours, Broadway World TV interviews The Color Purple tour star Jeannette Bayardelle.

- First, he was the King of Siam, now he's the Prince of Darkness. Ladies and gentlemen: Lorenzo Lamas is Dracula.

- "Why do you wear that stupid bunny suit?" Donnie Darko hits the stage.

- Sally Ann Howes, who you'll recall was Truly Scrumptious in every way in the classic movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is now Mrs. Higgins in the acclaimed My Fair Lady tour.

- It will be a White Christmas in Toronto this holiday season.

- Über-producer Cameron Mackintosh will bring several musical theater classics to Chinese audiences, including the French Les Miserables, the Swedish Mamma Mia! and the British Mary Poppins.

- And finally: Mark your calendars for next year's Tony Awards.

Links via BroadwayMouth.blogspot.com, Broadway.com, Playbill.com, QueerSighted.com, YouTube.com, BroadwayWorld.com, MSNBC.msn.com and IHT.com.

Naked Boys Filming

What do you get when you combine the lurid thrill of gratuitous onstage nudity with upbeat musical theater song and dance? The answer is Naked Boys Singing, the hit Off-Broadway show that has been wowin' 'em (in more ways then one) since 1999.

And if the bumper crop of movie musicals this year hasn't been enough, the Boys will be hitting the big screen themselves this fall as well (and no, it won't be in 3-D). Naked Boys Singing: The Motion Picture (it isn't really called all that, but don't you wish it was?) will be the opening night feature at Out Takes Dallas, Texas' own gay and lesbian film festival, and it will be appearing at several other festivals as well prior to its limited theatrical release in October.

For a tease of the new movie, visit its official website, filled with cast pictures (sorry, no full frontal -- you'll have to see the movie for that!), video sneak peeks and a pictorial history of the global phenomenon that is Naked Boys Singing.

You can also get a gander at the movie's trailer (for once, that term is tres apropos) over at YouTube, where you can also see Under the Pink Carpet's backstage look at the New York production.

Links via NakedBoysSinging.com, Imdb.com, OutTakesDallas.org, NakedBoysSingingMovie.com, YouTube.com and UnderThePinkCarpet.tv.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Bathhouse

Broadway is having a gay ol' time with the return of an old favorite in this week's round up of all things From Screen to Stage:

- The revival of Terrence McNally's door-slamming sex farce The Ritz, set in a New York bathhouse circa the 1970's, starts previews today. Actually, it was supposed to start yesterday, but a last-minute cast change pushed back the opening. (No, don't worry, it wasn't Ryan Idol.)

The new production stars Kevin Chamberlin, Rosie Perez (in the role made famous -- and Tony winning -- by Rita Moreno) and our favorite Playbill columnist, Seth Rudetsky. In his latest column, Seth recounts the horrors of tech week ... and having to pee next to a porn star.

- If you didn't get enough of Cheyenne Jackson in this week's "Out in Film", then get thee to YouTube, where you can see him and a very Aussie-fied Kerry Butler in their performance of "Suddenly" from Xanadu, as seen this week on The View.

- Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 29: That's the day Legally Blonde - The Musical will debut on MTV. To tide you over until then, QueerSighted chats with Elle's nemesis, a former Miss America (seriously), actress Kate Shindle.

- Have you ever dreamed of owning the complete score of Annie, a.k.a. "The Red Album"? How about hearing any of the infamous Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge? Well, your show tune wishes will finally be answered with the upcoming "30th Anniversary Cast Recording" -- and then some. Several Annie alumni returned for the event, including original orphan Andrea McArdle and movie Hannigan Carol Burnett. The sun truly will come out tomorrow.

- In other anniversary news, West Side Story is nearing its 50th. To celebrate the occasion, the Library of Congress will open a new exhibit displaying rare photos, set designs and other items exploring the "Birth of a Classic".

Also in honor of the landmark musical's golden anniversary, a new tribute CD has been released, featuring such stars as Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews and Kristin Chenoweth singing such classics as "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty". Click here to purchase A Place for Us: A Tribute to 50 Years of West Side Storyfrom Amazon.com.

- In more news on the classics, South Pacific will get its first Broadway revival ever, and they've already found their Nellie and Emile. Meanwhile, don't hold your breath for that starry revival of Guys and Dolls, and Lou Diamond Phillips is the new King Arthur in Camelot on tour. Yes, I said Lou Diamond Phillips.

- Also making its first return to Broadway: Les Liaisons Dangereuses, told and retold many times on film, most famously as Dangerous Liaisons and Cruel Intentions.

- Sweeney Todd: The Movie will spawn Sweeney Todd: The Soundtrack and Sweeney Todd: The Companion Book.(You can pre-order the book from Amazon.com by clicking the link.)

- The Grinch will get some new songs for Christmas this year.

- And finally, in this week's Hairspray news: Jim J. Bullock will replace Jerry Mathers as Wilbur Turnblad. In other words, Monroe Ficus is taking over where Beaver Cleaver left off. And with Paul Vogt as Edna, who knows where Tracy came from ...

Links via Playbill.com, Broadway.com, YouTube.com and QueerSighted.com.

Horse Play With Daniel Radcliffe

The weekly look at all that's in the works from Broadway to Hollywood and back again:

- For you muggles out there who couldn't make it to London for his au naturale performance in Equus, Daniel Radcliffe promises that he will soon be blinding horses stateside by the end of next year, if all goes well. Radcliffe's Harry Potter uncle Richard Griffiths (Tony winner for The History Boys) will co-star.

- Like, ohmygod! Taking their cue from Hairspray and Grease (both of which have been benefiting nicely from exposure in other mediums), Legally Blonde will soon be filmed live for a future broadcast on MTV. And if you so desire (and are willing to wear a pink shirt), you can even be in the audience.

- Speaking of Grease (and really, when are we not?), meet the revival's scene-stealing Rizzo, Jenny Powers, and check out the track list for the newest cast recording, on sale October 2 (Click here to pre-order the new albumfrom Amazon.com).

Meanwhile, Grease: You're the One That I Want hostess Denise Van Outen has (get this) been cast as the militant Maureen in London's Rent. Not to be catty, but isn't she a teensy bit past her prime mooing years?

- In more music news, original Maureen Idina Menzel has released a club mix of her big Wicked showstopper, the divalicious "Defying Gravity". Click here to purchase the CDfrom Amazon.com.

- As playwright Terrence McNally and stars Rosie Perez and Kevin Chamberlin chat up The Ritz, Seth Rudetsky dishes on his co-star/fellow "bathhouse patron" Ryan Idol. Seth also recounts his recent one-on-one with Xanadu hunk Cheyenne Jackson.

- Get ready to return to La Cage aux Folles, via a West End revival; no word yet if the star of the recent New York run, Gary Beach, will "strap on his fake boobs again" for it though.

Elsewhere, this is what the Episcopalians think about a high school musical about drag queens. Who woulda thunk it?

- Director Rob Marshall has revealed his star-studded, international cast for his big screen adaptation of Nine, although only one (Sophia Loren) is actually Italian.

- "They're the Dreamgirls ..." The originals, that is: Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine and Jennifer Holliday will reunite in LA for a "one night only" benefit performance. And I'm telling you, I'm going ... (OK, I'll stop now.)

- Tours from around the world: 42nd Street in China, Little Shop of Horrors in the UK and 12 Angry Men in the US of A.

- Billy Elliot, soon to be grande jeté-ing his way to Broadway, celebrates his 1,000th performance in London.

- Angela Arden has found her son. Charles Busch will be joined in Die Mommie Die! with current gay soap sensation Van Hansis (a.k.a. As the World Turns' Luke Snyder).

- In an unusual move, the producers of Young Frankenstein will reportedly not release the show's weekly grosses. Hmmm ...

- The 39 Steps is stepping closer to Broadway.

- In our Hairspray news of the week, the title of this Playbill article says it all: "Love Finds Beaver Cleaver".

- Do video games and show tunes mix? We'll find out when The Last Starfighter takes to the stage.

- Remember the opening number of the movie Hair, with all the hippies dancing about, all Twyla Tharp-y like, in the middle of Central Park? Well, now you'll be able to see that in person.

- While Claire Danes (who, having never seen My Fair Lady, must have had a really sad childhood) prepares for George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, John Lithgow mulls a return to Broadway with Arthur Miller's All My Sons.

- I don't know why but I don't care: the San Francisco Jersey Boys will perform on next Sunday's Emmy Award telecast. For a taste of the original Broadway Four Seasons, here's their electrifying performance at last year's Tony Awards.

Links via MoviesBlog.MTV.com, Playbill.com, Broadway.com, AfterEllen.com, AfterElton.com and YouTube.com.

Oh, Mamma Mia!

This week's From Screen to Stage kicks off with two of the biggest mothers to hit Broadway:

- Yes, that is the first look at Meryl Streep in the upcoming movie version of Mamma Mia! As for the other "mamma" pictured? It is none other then Michael Ball as Edna Turnblad in the long-awaited London production of Hairspray.

Speaking of Hairspray, the tuner just celebrated its fifth anniversary on the Great White Way, and current Corny Collins Lance Bass will host the annual "Broadway on Broadway" concert in Times Square.

- After Variety chipped in with its two-cents, the sharks (namely, the New York Post) started circling Disney's The Little Mermaid.

- Elsewhere on the road to New York, Young Frankenstein gets some love from the Seattle Gay News prior to closing its pre-Broadway run.

- In tour news, Chicago ends its long trek as The Wedding Singer begins theirs; and legendary movie muse Marni Nixon joins My Fair Lady.

- Broadway.com shines the spotlight on three recent hits: Legally Blonde, The Lion King and Monty Python's Spamalot.

- Can't make it to New York to see Cheyenne Jackson and Kerry Butler in Xanadu? BroadwayWorld.com has an exclusive video preview just for you.

- Start that clock: Dolly Parton herself says the 9 to 5 musical will hit Broadway in 2009.

- Harvey Fierstein talks all about his Catered Affair.

- Everyone's favorite 70's sitcom neighbor Valerie Harper stars in the movie adaptation of Golda's Balcony.

- All About My Mother premieres in London, while the American musical Chaplin finds new life elsewhere in England. Plus: is it rumor or real -- a Harry Potter musical to fly onto the West End?

- In the works: stage musical versions of The Three Musketeers, Mask (the Cher movie, not the Jim Carrey one), To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath, which is actually an opera.

- And finally: The latest incarnation of Forbidden Broadway (the twenty-fifth!), subtitled Rude Awakening, is now up and running, complete with spoofs of Grey Gardens, Mary Poppins, Legally Blonde and (easy target) Grease: You're The One That We Want.

Links via USAToday.com, MichaelBall.co.uk, Playbill.com, Variety.com, NYPost.com, SGN.org, Broadway.com, BroadwayWorld.com, SundayMirror.co.uk and Imdb.com.

From Under the Sea

Three major openings this week - but only one on the Great White Way:

- Disney's The Little Mermaid and Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein officially opened on the same day in different cities (Denver and Seattle). The local critics have spoken, all citing that both shows need work before they reach Broadway. Uh, isn't that what they're there for?

- After televised auditions, a rehearsal period and previews, the much-publicized revival of Grease has finally opened on Broadway ... and the reviews were pretty much what we expected. However, considering the advance sales due to the TV show, the producers should be crying all the way to the bank. Broadway.com has opening night photos and video, while Broadway World introduces you to the Thunderbirds.

- Good news for Billy Elliot fans (the movie is one of my all-time favorites): signs (literally) are pointing to a Broadway bow next year.

- Could Hairspray movie star Nikki Blonsky be eyeing the Broadway version for her next Tracy Turnblad tour de force? Meanwhile, Lance Bass is Corny -- Collins, that is; and meet the latest Edna, MADtv's Paul Vogt, who dishes on the real reason why the Las Vegas production of Hairspray closed.

- More casting buzz for Rob Marshall's Nine movie, including Oscar winners Sophia Loren and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Oscar nominees Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz and future Oscar nominee Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose).

- As Kevin Kline, Jennifer Garner and Daniel Sunjata prepare for a Cyrano de Bergerac revival, George Hamilton returns to Chicago. And could Patrick Wilson, Anne Hathaway, John C. Reilly and Debra Messing be the latest Guys and Dolls?

- See who will take on the iconic movie roles played by Madonna and Hayley Mills in the West End Desperately Seeking Susan and the US tour Whistle Down the Wind.

- Feel the rhythm of South Africa with Disney's The Lion King.

- Enter the Broadway World time machine for a look back at the Xanadu movie. Elsewhere, Broadway.com has a lively chat with that scene-stealing evil muse, Jackie Hoffman.

- Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Jane Austen's Emma hit regional stages.

- Frost/Nixon closes on Broadway. What's next for Tony winner Frank Langella and Tony nominee Michael Sheen? Filming the movie version with director Ron Howard.

- The West End musical epic stage version of The Lord of the Rings extends through the end of September.

- The Ritz star Seth Rudetsky discusses briefs, towels and robes.

- Holy stage faves, Batman! Take a look at the Batman musical that never was.

- And finally: Avenue Q star Rod (just Rod, like Cher) sits down for a "Cue & A" with Playbill.com.

Links via Playbill.com, GoldDerby.LATimes.com, Broadway.com, BroadwayWorld.com, AccessHollywood.com and FilmJunk.com.

Puttin' on the Ritz

All the scoop on everything from screen to stage:

- Yep, that's the first real look at Shuler Hensley as Young Frankenstein's monster above, with Roger Bart as the good doctor. For more official pics from the Seattle pre-Broadway engagement, including Megan Mullally in a fabulous red dress and Sutton Foster in a shocking blonde wig, head over to Broadway.com.

- Sutton's brother Hunter is keeping it in the family ... the Frankenstein family that is. He will play Dr. F in the Off-Broadway "serious" musical take on the story.

- Film and TV faves are popping up on stages all over the place: former Falcon Crest hunk Lorenzo Lamas is the King of Siam in The King and I, and Law and Order vet S. Epatha Merkerson will try to fill the house slippers of Shirley Booth in a revival of Come Back, Little Sheba.

Following his Tony win for Monty Python's Spamalot, Mike Nichols looks to be making a full-on comeback to Broadway with two star-studded productions in the works: a revival of The Country Girl starring Oscar-winners Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand and the debut of Farragut North with our guy Jake Gyllenhaal.

- Grease: You're the One That I Want continues to sprout success stories. First, "Ambitious Danny" Chad Doreck will join the Altar Boyz as Matthew.

Austin "Hot Danny" Miller and Kate "Serious Sandy" Rockwell will appear in the musical drama Tully (In No Particular Order).

And my personal favorite Danny, Derek "Wholesome Danny" Keeling is set to co-star in the new musical version of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities with James Barbour. With those two onboard, maybe they should call it A Tale of Two Hotties.

Meanwhile, "Slacker Danny" Max Crumm and "Small Town Sandy" Laura Osnes recently hit the studio to record the new Grease cast album.

- Fresh off the one-night wonder that was the American Idol musical (proof that there is a god) comes news that another Fox TV favorite, Family Guy, is hitting the stage.

- If you didn't get enough of High School Musical from this weekend's Disney Channel blitz for the new sequel (which was excellent, by the by, better then the original), then take a look at Broadway World's look backstage at all the various stage incarnations of the teen phenomenon that just keep coming (High School Musical on Ice, any one?).

- Get a double dose of Xanadu cutie Kerry Butler over at Playbill.com, with a Seth Rudetsky chat and a "brief encounter".

- For more diva darlings, see Broadway.com's interview with Legally Blonde's Laura Bell Bundy and another behind-the-scenes video for Disney's The Little Mermaid.

- Paging would be Inspector Clouseaus: Oscar-winning songwriter Leslie Bricusse is working on a Pink Panther stage musical.

- The new TV movie version of the Tony-winning revival of A Raisin in the Sun will air on ABC the day after the Oscars, while the Tony-winning The History Boys returns to the West End - with a new cast.

- Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage (yes, that's the title) has announced its first American tour.

- And finally: Charles Busch and Julie Halston, together again! The two cult superstars are back onstage in The Lady in Question.

Links via Broadway.com, BroadwayWorld.com and Playbill.com.

Still Waiting for That Close-Up

This week's column takes a look at the latest projects to travel From Screen to Stage and back again.

- A movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard musical was promised to us some time back, and now the project has resurfaced. Names attached to play Norma Desmond are the usual suspects: Glenn Close, Meryl Streep and Barbra Streisand (thankfully, Liza appears to be out of the running). Close, who won the Tony for her performance in the role on Broadway, has her hopes up that it will eventually be made ... with her in the lead.

- The Seattle pre-Broadway run of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein has opened. Playbill.com has interviews with co-star Sutton Foster and co-librettist Thomas Meehan.

- Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! – The Musical will return to the New York stage just in time for (naturally) the holiday season.

- Mary Poppins herself, Ashley Brown, answers all your questions at Broadway.com.

- Good news for all you fans of "children's theater for 40-year-old gay men": Xanadu will tour, and may even head to London.

- In related news, The Wedding Singer is gearing up for their own tour, while Christian Slater prepares for the West End debut of Swimming With Sharks.

- Chazz Palminteri is readying his one-man show A Bronx Tale (which he directed and starred in as a film) for a limited Broadway run.

- Can you believe it? Soon there will be two musicals on the Great White Way based on John Waters movies: Hairspray and the upcoming Cry-Baby.

- Former Hairsprayer Harvey Fierstein will star in A Catered Affair, based on the Paddy Chayevsky teleplay that was turned into a movie starring Bette Davis (though not in the same role as Harvey).

- And rounding up the Hairspray-related news, that movie's producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, are returning to television with a new version of Peter Pan. And yes, the little boy who never grew up will again be played by a woman (no, not Harvey ... although he would make a great Captain Hook).

- In the works, as in workshops: musicals based on To Die For, Shrek and Saved!

- If your the kind to get your kicks from those old "women in prison" B-movies, then Slammer! is the musical for you.

- And finally: Grease is not only the word in New York, but also in London. If all that T-bird/Pink Lady action is too much for you though, then maybe what you need is a little Lube.

Links via Playbill.com, MoviesBlog.MTV.com, Broadway.com, Advocate.com and QueerSighted.com.

Idol/Busch

Today's unrelated announcements that queer theater diva Charles Busch and XXX porn star Ryan Idol will each be trodding the boards in the Big Apple soon is notable for several reasons.

First, the two are both gay icons, though obviously for very different reasons. Second, they both will appear in plays well known to gay audiences. Busch will star in the Off-Broadway debut of his own Die, Mommie, Die!, reprising the role of Angela Arden that he immortalized on film in the hilarious movie adaptation. And in the upcoming Broadway revival of the comedy The Ritz, Idol will play the bit (but hardly small) part of "bathhouse patron". And thirdly: I have met them both.

Now granted, both of these meetings were of the "Oh gee, it's-so-nice-to-meet-you, I-love-your-work, good-bye!" kind, but when you brush up against fame, it sticks with you.

I will recount the less sordid of the two events first. Back in the summer of 1989, my then-boyfriend and I went to Los Angeles on vacation. Our trip coincided with the west coast run of Busch's then most-famous play, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, headlined by none-other then Busch himself. Having just acted in the Phoenix premiere production of said play, I was thrilled to be able to see the Charles Busch, along with most of the original New York cast, in what turned out to be their final performance there. As a result of a few well-dropped hints to a kindly usher, we met Busch after the show. He was very gracious and even signed my program, which I still treasure.

As for the Idol encounter some years later, my memories are a bit dimmer owing to the locale. It was at the opening of some gay bar in north Scottsdale (now long gone) where free cocktails were flowing and Idol was the main event. He performed a little strip tease dance and was then "auctioned off" to the highest bidder for the remainder of the night. But before his "dream date", Idol took the time to sign some tragically out-of-date publicity shots for the masses, myself included. Idol was trying to be clever (or, as it turns out, as clever as a porn star can be), writing cutesy sayings along with his autograph; you know, things like "Hey Nick, do you like my ....?" You get the idea.

Before I go on, let me say that I love my name. Everybody remembers it, which is nice even if I can rarely return that compliment. However, being a gay man named Kirby can have its drawbacks, considering I share the name with a certain brand of vacuum cleaner.

Yes, I have heard more then my fair share of not-so-original "jokes" alluding to the sucking power of the latest model of Kirby Vacuums. And yes, it gets old. Nevertheless, as I waited in that line to get Mr. Idol's John Hancock (as opposed to his John Thomas), I was prepared to take whatever he dished out (a night's worth of tequila helped too).

"Kirby" I said when he asked me my name, bracing myself for the laughter ... that never came. Apparently, the Idol family didn't have a Kirby Vacuum Cleaner when little Ryan was growing up, as opposed to, oh, everyone else I have ever met in my life. The reference flew right over Idol's over-moussed head as he hemmed and hawed, finally coming up with this little ditty: "To Kirby: On my derby, Ryan Idol."

Yes. "To Kirby: On my derby". He even drew a tiny top hat to illustrate his little funny, even though a top hat looks nothing like a derby. And yes, I still have that photo, although it isn't nearly as treasured as my Charles Busch program.

Click here to purchase Die Mommie Die!on DVD from Amazon.com.

Links via Imdb.com, Wikipedia.org, Playbill.com and Broadway.com.

Grease: The One We Didn't Want?

All the latest on new and ongoing productions 'From Screen to Stage':

- The newest revival of Grease has begun previews on Broadway. This is the production that found its Danny and Sandy on a television reality show and, thanks to America, we now have a brunette Sandy (Laura Osnes) and a dorky Danny (Max Crumm). Thanks, America. For opening night pics of the duo, visit Broadway.com.

- Hoping for another Producers, Mel Brooks brings another of his comedy classics to the stage with Young Frankenstein. In addition to Roger Bart, Megan Mullally and Sutton Foster, the tuner stars Wicked's Christopher Fitzgerald as Igor and Tarzan's Shuler Hensley as the Monster. And yes, the new musical will include the classic "Uttin' ona 'Itz" number.

- Mel's won't be the only stage adaptation of the legendary Mary Shelley story to hit New York in the near future: a "more serious" musical retelling of Frankenstein will be available Off-Broadway.

- Record companies are lining up to record the Xanadu cast album. One hitch: they want Cheyenne.

- And if you thought that Xanadu was the only 1980 movie musical bomb to creep its way onto the stage, think again: Can’t Stop the Music: The Musical?

- Want some camp with your cannabis? Then Reefer Madness: The Musical is just for you.

- For more squeaky-clean teen musical fare, you can't get more clean (or squeaky) then Disney's High School Musical, now on the national tour that almost wasn't.

- As if Ashlee Simpson as Roxie Hart wasn't bad enough: In more Chicago stunt casting gone amuck, 22-year-old Kelly Osbourne is the new Matron Mama Morton in the London production. I guess they are just going to ignore the "matron" and "mama" parts.

- More movie-to-musicals madness in the works: Honeymoon in Vegas, Pride & Prejudice, Of Mice and Men and Knute Rockne, All American.
- The long-rumored Broadway revival of West Side Story has jump-kicked its way closer to reality with the announcement that the show's legendary librettist Arthur Laurents is now onboard to helm it.

- Echo Magazine's Neil Cohen has a chat with former Trading Spaces star and current Sweet Charity tour headliner Paige Davis, who spills all the dirt on Doug and Hildy. (The article can be found under "Just a Stage" in the "Previews & Reviews" section.)

- If you're in Atlanta, you can see the newest production of The Wizard of Oz, directed by The Boy from Oz's Philip William McKinley.

- Although we haven't heard much lately about the upcoming movie version, Naked Boys Singing did recently start their ninth year Off-Broadway. (Be sure to check out that last link so that you can check out current star Timothy John Mandala).

- Jeff Goldblum recently starred in The Music Man in his home town of Pittsburgh and made a documentary all about it.

- Original Rent boys Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp (who also starred in the movie version) are now back in the Broadway production, while the West End prepares for the first restaging of the show.

- The first American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman's Whistle Down the Wind (based on the Hayley Mills movie) is in the works.

- And finally: Who doesn't want to see classic Disney princess songs sung by a bearded adult gay man? Bill McKinley brings his Don’t Tell Walt: An Animated Evening of Adult Music to NYC's Metropolitan Room for two more nights next week. For more information, visit Bill's home page.

Links via Playbill.com, Broadway.com, BroadwayWorld.com, SFBayTimes.com, ChicagoTribune.com, EchoMag.com, NYBlade.com and BillMcKinley.com.

Now Part of Your World

With Beauty and the Beast now behind them, Disney Theatricals turns it attentions to the next fairy tale to make the leap from screen to stage, The Little Mermaid. The tuner, based on the 1989 animated classic that revitalized an interest in the medium that continues to this day, recently opened in Denver in preparation for its November bow on Broadway.

With its Oscar-winning score and songs, music was very integral to the success of the movie. The show will include all seven of the original Howard Ashman and Alan Menken songs, with twelve new songs penned by Menken and his new lyricist Glenn Slater. Slater proved himself a perfect successor to the late great Ashman with his songs for the Disney toon Home on the Range. In addition to that movie, Slater also collaborated with Menken on the stage musical versions of two other movies, Sister Act and Leap of Faith. Needless to say, I am anxious to hear the new stuff to see how it sits with the originals, but with Menken onboard with Slater, I am extremely optimistic.

In addition to the new music, the whole look of the show has left many curious, particularly in regards to how the undersea sequences will be handled. Moreover, with the failure of Tarzan and the closing of Beast, all of Broadway is scrutinizing this, Disney's next move on the Great White Way.

However, if the positive reactions in Denver so far is any indication, it appears this Mermaid will indeed have legs when it opens in New York this Fall.

Click here to purchase The Little Mermaidon DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Disney.go.com, Playbill.com, OrlandoSentinel.com, SisterActTheMusical.com, Broadway.com, Variety.com and DenverPost.com.

Tale as Old as Time

After 13 years on the Great White Way, Disney's first foray into legitimate theater, Beauty and the Beast, has closed. Although still raking it in at the box office, the show packed up its dancing silverware and magical roses to make way for the next Disney fairy tale extravaganza, The Little Mermaid, currently playing in Denver in preparation for a November New York debut.

I actually saw this show twice (both on tour, once in Phoenix and again in Orlando) and I have always felt that it was a very good adaptation of the movie (one of my all-time favorites). The stage version successfully built off the original film, deepening the characters (especially, with "Human Again", the enchanted objects) without going too far down the dark side (reportedly why Mary Poppins has not been well received). Originally faced with lackluster notices and little Tony love (which I chalk up to typical New York snobbishness), the production endured its many critics to become the sixth longest-running show in Broadway history.

To celebrate the beauty that was this Beast, many online tributes sprang up recently.

• BroadwayWorld.com has a video retrospective of Beauty through the years.
• Another video feature, Broadway.com says 'goodbye' to the Beast. Also on that site: a host of pictures from the last performance.
• LaughingPlace.com gives us all the (fun) facts behind the show.
• Playbill.com, in addition to a "where are they now" feature on cast members past and present, was there on closing night.
• And for a unique perspective on treading the boards for a living, plus lots of backstage photos, head over to DailyKos.com.

As Mrs. Potts would say: "Goodnight, luv."

Click here to purchase Beauty and the Beaston DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via BroadwayWorld.com, Broadway.com, LaughingPlace.com, Playbill.com and DailyKos.com.

Nobody Puts Baby in the ... Video Game?

First a movie. Then a TV show. Then another movie. Then another TV show. And now ... the video game.

Yep, soon you too can play the Dirty Dancing video game. Not that you would want to ... or that there's anything wrong with that.

In related Dirty news: Toronto prepares their own version of the London stage version. And the Dirtyness goes on ...

Links via Imdb.com, Codemasters.com and Playbill.com.

Priscilla, Queen of Broadway?

At first glance, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert may not appear to be the ideal choice for a stage musical. Sure, musical numbers abound in the film fave, but these are drag queens, so the songs are all lip-synced. And who wants to hear "I've Never Been to Me" sung by a dude in a dress?

Alas, the producers of the hit Australian stage version came up with the perfect answer: cast three "divas" to belt the disco classics. Add three fabulously coifed and coutured men to play our heroines Mitzi, Felicia and Bernadette (the roles originally played onscreen by Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terence Stamp). Then have the boys lip sync to the live singing. It is a very theatrical conceit that works, if the big "I Will Survive" number (seen here on the Aussie version of Dancing With the Stars) is any indication.

Fans may also want to take a look-see at the official site of the production from down under, where you can play the "official" Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical game. Yes, I said game. You maneuver the big silver bus through the Outback, picking up stray stilettos and hormone pills (!) while avoiding wandering wombats and kangaroos. All the while, a medley of 70's hits is blaring in your ear, so you may want to turn down the speakers while your driving. I swear, it is the gayest game since "Mystery Date".

As would be expected, there is now talk that Priscilla may pack up her bus for Broadway, following in the footsteps of fellow Aussie export, The Boy from Oz, another musical gayer then most.

Which leads us to "Armchair Casting- Broadway Edition": what three Broadway "divos" do you see as the leads? I would say Gary Beach was born to play Bernadette. Beach has donned drag in The Producers and La Cage aux Folles, so why stop him now? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Click here to purchase The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Deserton DVD from Amazon.com.
Links via Imdb.com, YouTube.com, PriscillaTheMusical.com and Towleroad.com.

Poster Post: The Demon Barber

First look (via Playbill) at the upcoming film version of Stephen Sondheim's classic stage musical Sweeney Todd, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp.

Click here to buy Sweeney Toddposters from Amazon.com.

Links via Playbill.com and Imdb.com.

Brokeback Broadway

One thing about rumors is that half the time they are, in a way, wish fulfillment waiting to happen.

Such is the case with the recent gossip of a stage version of the landmark film Brokeback Mountain. Back around the time the Brokeback theme was released as a dance mix (yeah, I know; you can't get much gayer then that), the thought entered my mind of a Broadway musical based on the story of two cowboys in love (OK, maybe you can get gayer then that).

All kidding aside, if Romeo and Juliet can be turned into West Side Story, why not a serious musical drama based on Brokeback? With the right handling, it could work.

Unfortunately, I feel that if this project does turn out to be true, we will be subjected to a whole other round of "gay cowboy" jokes, except with extra "show tune" ammo to fuel the thinly veiled homophobia. Personally, I really don't want to see Jay Leno crooning "Climb Brokeback Mountain" to the tune of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain".

Former X-Men Hugh Jackman (Tony-winner for The Boy from Oz) and James Marsden (who proved he can sing in Hairspray) are mentioned as candidates for the roles of Ennis and Jack, leading AfterElton.com to chime in with their own casting choices: Patrick Wilson (above left, in Oklahoma! drag) and Cheyenne Jackson (middle left, who will hopefully not be reduced to the go-to guy for gay roles on Broadway). I could also see Matthew Morrison (middle right, the original Link Larkin in Hairspray) and Matt Cavenaugh (right, as the Urban Cowboy) in the iconic roles. (Click on the picture for a closer view.)

However, the answer may be more obvious. Remember Jake Gyllenhaal's outrageous Saturday Night Live opening number? That boy's got pipes. Now replace the lyrics "I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" with the words "I Wish I Knew How to Quit You".

Scary how these things work out sometimes.

Click here to purchase Brokeback Mountainon DVD from Amazon.com.

Links via Towleroad.com, AfterElton.com and YouTube.com.

He Got Annie

In last week's "From Screen to Stage", Seth Rudetsky interviewed Andrea McArdle on the Rosie Cruise. Well, it turns out McArdle wasn't just aboard for the seafood buffet.

In part two of Seth's story, he relates how his childhood dream of being an orphan in Annie was realized, with McArdle reprising her most famous role (at age 43, no less). Naturally, Miss O'Donnell herself got into the act as Miss Hannigan (that's her with McArdle - in the red dress, mind you - above).

And what about Seth, who spent hours listening to the "Red Album" as a child? He played Tessie, the "ohmygoodness" girl. (More pics available at Broadway.com.)

In other Broadway via Hollywood news:
- The Dolly Parton-scored 9 to 5 should punch the clock sometime in the 2008-09 season.

- A stage version of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, the classic movie that starred Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier, is also being readied for that time.

- Dallas star Linda Gray returns to Texas (onstage, at least) in a stage adaptation of Terms of Endearment that will tour the United Kingdom.

- The movie version of Nine gets a screenwriter and some possible leading ladies. Rumor has it that Judi Dench, Anne Hathaway, Katie Holmes and Chicagoans Renee Zellwegger and Catherine Zeta-Jones are all in the running.

- Speaking of Chicago, real-life marrieds and Dancing With the Stars alumni Harry "Making Love" Hamlin and Lisa "Melrose Place" Rinna have extended their run as Billy Flynn and Roxie Hart.

- The Producers, no longer on Broadway but still in Vegas (for now), heads to Atlantic City.

- When in California, visit Universal Studios Hollywood ... especially for their "Wicked Wednesdays".

- The Kiss of the Spider-Woman musical returns to New York.

- Special mention must be made of a milestone achievement for my favorite Off-Broadway musical, Altar Boyz.

- Mash-ups are fun: Carrie White meets Harry Potter in Carrie Potter and the Half-Blood Prom.

- In other oddities: Hannibal the Cannibal sings in Silence!, the musical version of The Silence of the Lambs. Seriously.

In stars on stage news: Ian McKellan takes on King Lear, Kathleen Turner returns to the stage - to direct Crimes of the Heart, and Queer as Folk's Randy Harrison is Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

- And finally, read all about gay goddess Tallulah Bankhead's onstage mishaps at Playbill.com.

Links via RFamilyVacations.com, Playbill.com, Broadway.com, BroadwayWorld.com and Variety.com.

Xanadu Soars, Tarzan Falls and More

The big Broadway news lately is the phenomenal success story of Xanadu, the stage version of the camp flop movie we all secretly love. Not only has it received surprisingly great reviews, but it also set a record at the Helen Hayes Theater where it is currently playing to rapturous applause. Basking in the glow is our guy, Cheyenne Jackson, who tells AfterElton.com all about the ins and outs of roller skates and short shorts.

Also on that site, Michael Portantiere gives us a full review, while Steven Frank gives us his own hilarious (as usual) take on his experience at the show, including this bit overheard in the audience: "They made a musical from the book Wicked? Like, who doesn't know that?

And while we're in Valley speak mode, the cast album for the totally pink musical Legally Blonde (starring Laura Bell Bundy goes on sale today. And yes, there is a song titled "Bend and Snap". (Click the link to purchase the CD from Amazon.com.)

Miserably received, Disney's Tarzan, which starred hirsute hottie Josh Strickland, has closed, the first Broadway flop for the Mouse (but hey, it's HUGE in Holland). "Broadway Mouth" at the Broadway Blog provides an in-depth post-mortem on what went wrong.

Speaking of Disney, their first foray onto the Great White Way, Beauty and the Beast, is closing as well. But at least Belle, the Beast and all that cutlery were a little more successful. The long-running family hit will end July 29, to make way for the next Disney toon tuner, The Little Mermaid, which opens later this year.

Also closing on that day is the musicalization of the cult documentary film Grey Gardens. Rumor has it that they may film it for a future television broadcast and/or DVD release. That would be very S-T-A-U-N-C-H of them (I know that really doesn't make sense, but when you can quote Edie Beale, you quote Edie Beale).

Fantasia follows up her impressive Tony Award appearance with five more months in The Color Purple, while the tour for that show adds four additional weeks to their Chicago stay.

Hairspray the stage musical is benefiting from Hairspray the movie with a nice bounce in ticket sales. Celebs joining the cast include Jerry Mathers as the Beav ... oops, I mean Wilbur, Lance Bass as Corny Collins (starting August 14) and Grease: You're the One That I Want runner-up Ashley Spencer as Amber Von Tussle, effective July 24.

In other Grease news, the winning Sandy of that reality competition/casting session, Laura Osnes tells Playbill.com absolutely nothing about how disappointed I ... I mean, she was that total dreamboat Derek Keeler was not cast as Danny.

And here we go again: producers of the London run of Monty Python's Spamalot are planning another let's-let-the-people-(read: gay men)-decide television show to find their next Lady in the Lake.

In the latest screen to stage adaptations, we have Desperately Seeking Susan, All About My Mother, Ever After and Jane Austin's Emma, plus a new twist on the trend: musical stage versions of television shows. Yep, soon both Fonzie and Columbo will be warbling live on a Broadway stage sometime in the near future.

Rounding out the round up, we have:

• Stars on the boards: Orlando Bloom in London and Claire Danes in New York.
• Only in a musical could casting a male as Peter Pan be "untraditional casting".
• "Broadway Bares", the raunchy annual fund-raiser created by Legally Blonde's Jerry Mitchell, may find a permanent home in Vegas, baby.
• Whoopi Goldberg, of all people, will host the Fire Island Dance Festival.

And finally, Seth Rudetsky, our favorite musical/comedy guy, talks all about his trip on the Rosie Cruise, including a chat with original Annie Andrea McArdle, who discusses the pitfalls of M&M's and poppers on the Broadway stage.

Links via Playbill.com, AfterElton.com, BroadwayMouth.blogspot.com, SFGate.com, Broadway.com, BroadwayWorld.com, Derek-Keeling.com and RFamilyVacations.com.

From Screen to Stage: An Introduction

So many movies make the leap from screen to stage, whether in New York, London or elsewhere. Here's where you can keep track of them all, plus movie stars on stage and the latest cast albums.